Orly Plastix Collection Revew, Photos, Swatches

It’s Not Matte, But It’s Not Glossy

Orly’s Plastix Collection is a short and sweet debut of a new finish type — satin matte. It reminded me a bit of Chanel Black Velvet, which after much thinking, definitly has a pleather-like finish.

Retro Red is a bright pop of orange-based red. I found three coats were needed to ensure there was no visible nail line showing.

Old School Orange is a vibrant shade of creamy orange with sunshine yellow undertones. I also used three coats on this shade.

Viridian Vinyl is a blue-based teal that only needed two coats to go totally opaque.

Purple Pleather is a deep, blue-based purple that reminded me of Orly’s own Charged Up (but obviously a total different finish). Just two coats for this one.

I like these. I don’t love them, because they’re not entirely my style (I’m also not huge on matte polishes, either–again, all personal style preferences), but I do really love how they played with the finish and gave us something different. It’s not matte–there’s definitely this played down, barely there glossy sheen… but it’s not glossy. It’s not shiny. It’s very pleathery.

The formula felt a little on the thicker side to me, but I didn’t encounter any major issues. Each coat felt like it dried down pretty quickly–similar to mattes–though for 100% dry, it seemed a little faster than average but not super speedy. Despite each coat seemingly being pigmented, two shades still needed three coats. Like matte finishes, you may want to use a ridge filler to minimize any imperfections on your nail.

I wore these with Zoya’s base coat underneath, and I didn’t get any chips after five days, just minor tip wear. I skipped the top coat so I could maintain that satin-matte finish. The base coat didn’t seem to affect the appearance or finish of the polish at all, so at least I could lock it down with a base coat even if I couldn’t protect with a top coat!

I haven’t spotted these for sale yet online, but they should be popping up sometime soon!

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 26/30

Value: 8/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: Viridian Vinyl and Purple Pleather were my favorites, because the colors are bold, wearable, fall-appropriate, AND the formula was best with these two.

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I got Retro Red and Viridian Vinyl from Ulta, but transdesign.com is selling them as well. I feel sort of meh about them, you NEED a basecoat, otherwise they stain the bejeezus out of your nails. I wore viridian vinyl for a night out and removed it when I got home, and after 6 hours of wear my nails were stained hi-liter yellow. my friend used my retro red that night, and her nails ended up stained with a sort of orangey glow.

I really love these – bought the orange and blue at Ulta a couple weeks ago – the finish is really pretty! It’s like a toned down version of matte, so your nails look different, but not like you slathered paint on them (which has always been my issue with matte). Haven’t tried the orange on my toes yet, but I bet it would look great!

Beautiful colours and smooth application! You probably get asked this a lot, but do you leave space around the polish as empty nail for comparison’s sake? Must be tiring to swatch all of these and remove them too. Thanks for the swatches Christine, always!

Really digging the finish on these, but the colors are just too bold for my tastes (though I won’t hesitate to adore them on OTHER peoples’ nails!)– hopefully they’ll come out with some colors for fall!

Seche Vite has spoiled me with its drying speed, so it’s a shame that I can’t use that without ruining the finish. Will Drip Dry work, or do they actually dry fast enough that I won’t have to sit around for 3 hours doing nothing to avoid dings?

I don’t have Drip Dry, so I couldn’t tell you, but I felt like I could start going about my regular business (NOT washing dishes, mind you) after an hour or so. Well, that’s about as long as I could manage sitting around and not doing anything!

I was actually really excited about this collection, but I do wish they stuck with a glossy finish. I never found matte-ish polishes to be that great either, but I think with a glossy topcoat, these would look fantastic!

I picked up retro red (wearing on my hands now) and viridian vinyl (on my toes). They were more on the matte side for me but I think that has to do with my base (Orly Bonder). I was considering returning them but they are starting to grow on me. I just wish retro red was more true red and less orange – red would be great with this finish. Like sexy, read leather pants.

hey christine!
you have such gorgeous nails! this may seem like a weird question, but i try to grow mine but i always seem to bite them. are there any tips you could give to prevent me from biting? i have naturally dry skin around my cuticles, too so i feel like this also affects my nails too.
thanks!

I can’t say that I’m in love with these…I think Flash is my pick of the bunch but I’ll have to give these a miss, I’m afraid. But thanks so much for the review and pics – your effort is so appreciated!

I have retro red and its really beautiful!! And I know a really good dupe for it. It is Bourjois 10 days nail enamel no 16. its almost identical only difference is that the bourjois one is not matte and has fine shimmer in it ( which you can hardly see)